I am looking to do my brakes this weekend and this might be a stupid ? but i was wondering if they make a rust free rotor. I don't know if they sell them at napa or pep boys etc. Please let me know thanks.

 

i know the set i just got had a coating on the entire rotor which is supposed to protect them from getting rusty. It protects everywhere but the contact area which is cleaned off by the pads when you stop.

I got these and hawk hps pads which i have had before and really like.

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brake...ar=&perfCode=S

 

The zinc coated front rotors I got from here are rust free, had them for almost a year now:

http://forums.maxima.org/group-deals...nes-fluid.html

I also got these for the rear, but it's only been a couple weeks, so I'm not sure how they will do just yet.

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brake...op&model=Rotor

 

Beck/Arnley makes a rotor that has the hat area coated:
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=492111

You could always paint the area to prevent the rust.

 

drive it, and you're gold.

 

Gibberish... make sense, please.

I've always been bothered by the rust on my Brembo OEM's... and the eventual shudder/warp that occurs with them just like the factory rotors.

Puppermaster -- why did you go with the Cryo blanks on Tirerack instead of the slotted cryo or the ATE slots? Is it price? I'm on the fence about getting rotors with slots, just like I'm on the fence about cryo rotors. There are likely all kinds of answers elsewhere in the forum, but you seem to know your stuff... so what do you say?

 

dude i've been through 2 oem, 2 brembos, and my current ones are centrics. they have lasted longer then the brembros and oems, and they don't rust. I don't remember the price but they were $5 more then the brembros.

 

Zinc coasting on the rotors does eventually wear out...and they do eventually rust.

Getting them painted around the outside edge and the center piece will stop the rust from appearing

 

I got the RTP zinc coated and they looked good for about a year. They started to show the rust towards the end of the first winter (winters suck in MA).

Painting them does make them look a lot better. On my '99, I just threw some rustoleum enamel on them and it lasted for about 2 years before it started flaking. I know G2 and duplicolor both make a caliper paint that I'm sure will last much longer than the rustoleum i used.

The other option is stainless steel rotors, but i think those would cost some serious $$$......

 

Brembo's almost always rust like crazy. I just did a brake job last week for a buddy whose 1+ year old Brembos looked like they had been through 10 years of salt driving in a northern winter. I also know Jeff aka burnurass dumped his former 03's Brembos after a short period as well because of rust. Okay, they rust according to my representative sample of two, haha.

Anyway, I picked blanks because in my experience slotted are louder (my brakes are already pretty loud with Hawk HPS pads) and they are also overkill for my driving conditions, so there was no reason to pay extra for slotted. I got the cryo ones because I've been interested to try them, but Centric (who makes Cryo-Stops) also makes non-cryo rotors for even cheaper.

 

Thanks for the details, Puppetmaster. The more research I do, the more I'm coming to the opinion that slots are for appearance and bragging rights to the daily driver.

So the Centric rotors on TireRack are the Cryo-Stops, but without the cryogenic process?

My Brembo blanks are also badly rusted. Very. Very. Rusted. I'm a little irked.

("puppetmaster"... is that a nod to Larry Niven?)

 

No problem.

Anyway, Cryo-Stops are made by Centric. See here. Cryo-Stop rotors are Centric Premium rotors that have been cryo treated, As you may already know, Centric is a pretty big brake company and they own the Power Slot and StopTech brands.

For what it is worth, the Cryo-Stops came in the same Centric boxes, but with a big fancy Cryo-Stop sticker slapped on the box. The Centric Premiums come in the same box but with no sticker, obviously.


And Puppetmaster I adapted from:

 

Again, thanks.

Centric markets the rotors as corrosion resistant, and "arimaincorp" here in this thread backs that up.

At Tirerack, for a full front/rear set the Cryo-treated rotors would be an $82 premium over the non-cryo rotors... apparently for the same rotor but with this magical "cryo" process.

I'm skeptical about Cryo, but $82 is an inexpensive gamble for something that would be just as good without, and might actually last longer.

 

What is the standard life-span on rotors?

I hate the rust on the rotors - mine seems to appear within a day or two of not driving, which seems a little crazy to me.

I had my front rotors replaced at 45k, and now at 81k I'm getting the shudder again. I was thinking it was because it was time to rotate the tires, but then I saw the TSB about the shudder (not sure how I missed that in the 7 1/2 years I've owned the car!).

I'm not sure what type of rotors were used, but it's obviously time to replace them again. I had the rotors checked for warping when I put on the new tires (about 4k ago) and the shop said they were fine.

I guess the consensus is to go with Centric (or Cryo-stop)? I'm getting ready to do some other work on it, so I might as well do it all at once.

 

There's a tech service bulletin on this? Can you please link to it? Thanks.

The surface rust on the face of the rotor will scrape off the first few times you apply the brakes. However, it is embarrassing crunching down the driveway in the morning.

I don't see how there could be a "standard life span" on rotors... too many variables. I'm at 50K of normal city/highway driving (no track racing), on my 2nd set of front rotors, and 3rd set of rears. Currently running Brembo blanks, and I am very unhappy with the rust and the shudder at high-speed braking.

 

Maybe it wasn't a TSB. I had it bookmarked on my laptop - which now refuses to boot.

I did find these - although this one relates to a 2000 Maxima: http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb/NTB00-088.pdf

And then this, which relates to brake problems in general: http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb/NTB00-033a.pdf

That explains why I was thinking "judder" instead of "shudder."

I especially like the following, where they mention 2 common causes and then list 3:

I don't consider 2 days to be an acceptable period of time for rust to start to accumulate on the rotors - my rotors will completely rust over if I let my car sit for the weekend.

I was looking at aftermarket rotors hoping they would eliminate the problem - mine is bad enough that it almost feels like something in the steering is broken, and it happens at low and high speeds. It's been a little wobbly for a long time, enough that it was noticable, but still livable. Recently it's gotten so bad that I don't want to drive it anymore!

The fact that you are using Brembo doesn't give me much faith in new rotors fixing my problem.

Anyways, I don't know if my mechanic used Nissan rotors when he did mine, but I'm starting to think it's just an inherent problem with the Maxima and rotors.


And yes, probably not a standard lifespan on rotors as we all drive differently. Just wondering if this was a common problem with the Maxima, and it is beginning to look that way.

I have 150k+ on my Altima and have never had to replace the rotors. I'm at 81k on my Maxima and this will be the second set on the front. I don't drive either car differently enough to justify the difference in wear and tear. The Maxima does excelerate faster, but I've long since outgrown the "jackrabbit" starts and the "slam on the brake" stops.

 

I purchased the RTP zinc plated rotors that are supposed to be rust free, here are my thoughts 2 years later:

1.) The rotors were junk from the minute they went on (Example of bad RTP zinc plated rotors)
2.) The area where the pad contacts the rotor obviously removes the zinc plating, therefore allowing this area to rust as any normal rotor would.
3.) The remaining area that retains the zinc plating is VERY small.
4.) The zinc in this remaining area lasted for about 5months.
5.) I am now essentially left with RTP blanks that have been horrible from day one (see above link)

Just my $0.02



Edit: Just realized I removed the pics from my Photobucket account about a year ago....I would stay away from the GD section for rotors though. Looks another user had a strikingly similar experience http://forums.maxima.org/buyer-selle...omax_95-a.html

 

Seriously, surface rust is irrelevant. Don't worry about it. It's normal with rain or high humidity. It disappears immediately upon brake use.


Research the Centric Cryo Blanks mentioned here. Also, based on what you're saying here, you might have a broken/frozen caliper at one corner. Have your brakes looked at by a trusted mechanic. (Not Midas.)


Yeah. Next time around (next Spring), I'm giving Brembo a pass for something less prone to rust and warp.


Good point. After warping my first set, I started blaming myself for over-torquing. So I bought a torque wrench and have been using that ever since... swapping winter steelies off/on every winter and spring. However, the problem is slowly creeping up on me again.

But at least I've got this pretty torque wrench to show for it! No... I'm just kidding. The torque wrench is a very useful tool, and I'm glad I bought it.

Good luck with whatever you decide. And if you get those Centrics, post your opinions somewhere.

 

I know, it's still crazy that they start rusting within a day or two.


Looking at those now. I did have the guys at Merchants/NTB look at the brakes when I got new tires. I was hesitant to ask them as they tend to try to upsell products and services. I told asked them to look at the brakes and rotors because "I'm getting a shimmy when I brake and think I might need rotors."

They actually came back and said the rotors looked fine. Surprising since I gave them the perfect opportunity to sell me something! Of course that doesn't mean I didn't get the lazy guy looking at my car.



I worked many summers doing oil changes and tire rotations, so I do have a torque wrench. I'm actually pretty **** about that. But, I've long since given up on doing tire/wheel work myself - it's too much work dragging out the air compressor, jack and stands. Most places will do a tire rotation with an oil change - plus I got free rotation with my tire package.

I guess there is always the chance that some wrench head didn't bother to use the correct torque on my wheels - either during tire rotation or state safety inspection.

After hitting all the nuts with wd-40 and an impact wrench, I actually had to stand and bounce on the lug wrench to break the lugs when I did the brakes on my Altima this weekend. If I can find the place that last did those wheels I'm going to go back and punch them in the eye!

 

Not to start a fight or anything....

But I tried the Cryo-treated brakes a few years back in 11" format -- and I have to say, it's a waste of money.

Sure, the benefits of treated Cast Iron Rotors CAN be proven in extreme heat cycle applications and overall metal fatigue (TRUE warpage or runout)

But as far as negating PAD MATERIAL TRANSFER in day-to-day driving, stop-and go, city-style....it provides absolutely no benefit whatsoever.

Hate to say this (to continue the debate) but NEITHER do hawk HPS pads, OR bigger brake rotors!!
I've tried 'em all....and it just KEEPS coming-back!!

Best you can do, is prolong the occurences between servicing.

Pessimistically yours,

gr

 

FYI - my rear Cryo-Stops now have a ring of rust between the painted hat and the contact surface of the brake pads, and it's actually kinda ugly. They should have extended the painted part higher up the rotor. I'll probably try to paint it over or something.

 

Wow, that didn't take long to happen. It's a little disappointing.

So that people know how much to paint, what's the measured depth of that ring, from the hat to the contact surface?

And other than the rust ring, are you happy with the cryos? Do you think it was worth it over the non-cryo Centric Premiums?

 

Yeah, its only been a few weeks, and this is summer. I can't imagine what it'll be like in a Northern winter. I haven't measured the depth, but will try to do so later and take some pictures as well. I'm happy with cryos, and there is more bite and evenness, but it is also a function of having new HPS pads, so it is hard to tell how much of the improvement in feel is attributed to the rotors themselves. I guess as much as I hate to admit it, cryos are probably not worth the extra money (I think I paid like 50+ each from Tirerack) over regular rotors, especially not for the rears. For cosmetic purposes, I probably should have gotten zinc coated ones from RTP to match my fronts, haha. At least there's no rust on those thus far.

 

You can warp any rotor, no matter how much you paid for it. What you do, is a bunch of really hard braking then come to a complete stop. Some of the material from the pad bakes on the rotor and creates a hot spot. This uneven temperature on the rotor causes it to warp. Tip, when doing hard braking, you need to keep moving to let them cool off before a complete stop.

 

Driver side:



Passenger side:

 

Just to compare, here are my RTP fronts that have been on for over a year, vs. the Cryo-stops that are a little over a month old:

 

Properly cleaning any anti-corrosion sprays from the pad surface (the stuff that comes on all rotors) and properly bedding in the pads will go a long ways in preventing judder.

 

Yep, that's brand new rust on brand new rotors. At least the hat is still nice and black, so you got that going right for you.

I value the opinion and picture-proof of the year old, rust free RTP's. Thanks.

 

Any zinc plated rotor is going to have the best corrosion resistance. I've had my RTP blanks for almost 4 years now with no rust at all. Also, getting a good pad and bedding them in after they're installed will extend the life of the rotor. My brakes are just as smooth as the day I installed them, and I drive very hard...my brakes have glowed red on more than one occasion.

 

they called ceremic and theyre a $28,000 "option" on the spec-v GTR.....good luck